1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an improved chemical composition for the treatment of water which is particularly adapted to provide increased biocide activity. By biocide is meant in particular an algacide, a bactericide and a fungicide. The composition is also suitable for the disinfection of animal breeding places and the cleansing of soil. Additionally, a flocculent can be added to create a composition having the dual activity of a biocide and a flocculent.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that ordinary water contains various types of micro-organisms, such as bacteria, algae, and fungi, which if left unchecked can multiply to the point of rendering the water unfit for human use. Over the years a number of different reagents or compounds have been proposed to control, if not eliminate, the growth of such micro-organisms in water. Early attempts to solve this problem have included the use of active chlorine, copper-containing compounds or quaternary ammonium salts. Active chlorine-containing compounds have been found to have a number of serious drawbacks including rapid decomposition, pungent odor and corrosive action of water handling systems.
Copper compounds, such as copper sulfate, copper carbonate and other related copper salts tend to exert algaecidic activity only at relatively high concentrations making use of such compounds expensive. Copper salts, such as copper sulfate, also have a tendency to precipitate from aqueous solutions containing carbonates and bicarbonates. U.S. Pat. No. 2,734,028 to Domogalla attempts to solve this problem of copper precipitation by the inclusion of an hydroxyamine, such as alkanolamine, as a solubilizing agent to maintain the copper cation in solution in a variety of hard water systems or in water having large amounts of dissolved carbon dioxide.
Quaternary ammonium compounds have also been proposed as algaecides and bactericides. Their bactericidal power has been attributed to the tensio-active effect and the formation of compounds between quaternary ammonium salts and proteins. These compounds, however, have been known to irritate human skin and to loose activity in the presence of hard, calcium-containing water. Stayner et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,692,231, indicate that quaternary ammonium salts, such as alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chlorides by themselves are inadequate under certain circumstances. Their attempted solution is to combine the quaternary ammonium salt with a nonanionic organic material having a solubility in water of less than about 5%. The nonanionic organic material is characterized as being hydrophobic-weakly hydrophilic species and as a promoter for the quaternary ammonium salt enhancing the microbicidal effect of the quaternary ammonium compound.
Darragh et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,688,583, disclose that quaternary ammonium salts have the further drawback of producing a cloudy dispersion upon being added to water. Their solution to this problem is to include with the quaternary ammonium salt an inorganic water soluble aluminum salt capable of producing clear aqueous dispersions throughout a range of concentrations. Aluminum sulfate or aluminum chloride have been employed in this capacity.
Zsoldos et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,702,298, have attempted to control the growth of micro-organisms in water by maintaining a highly oxidizing alkaline aqueous solution consisting of an oxidizer bank of a large excess of peroxy compounds in combination with copper or silver salts (such as nitrate or sulfate salts) acting as an in situ catalyst. Optionally, a chelating agent, such as sodium citrate or acetate, can be employed to prevent precipitation of the metal catalyst.
To the best of applicant's knowledge, none of the previous attempts to control the growth of micro-organisms in water have succeeded in providing a safe, efficient, cost effective, long lasting composition which provides exceptional biocide activity and which can additionally include a flocculent.